Information & Broadcasting Ministry has stalled an ambitious plan of the HRD Ministry to launch 1,000 educational television channels. The failure to get the permission is attributed to non fulfillment of a crucial requirement by the HRD Ministry. The HRD ministry had first initiated steps to launch 50 round-the-clock channels and had approached the I&B Ministry for permission for up-linking and down-linking the channels.

According to the I&B ministry’s uplinking and downlinking guidelines for television channels, an applicant seeking permission for a TV channel should be a company registered in India under the Companies Act, 1956.

The HRD ministry is not a company and consequently does not meet this criterion, officials said.